Re-enacting identity in the greeting and address pattern among Nigerian Pentecostals

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using Castell’s Identity theory and Bernard Spolsky’s framework, the study examines how the creative appropriation of linguistic genres in the Nigerian neo-Pentecostal discourses contribute to the construction of a unique identity among its members that differentiates them from non-members. Specifically, it explores the dynamics of religious identities and ideologies in the churches and how they are expressed in greeting and address patterns. The data were collected by interviews and participant observations of church services in three purposefully selected neo-Pentecostal churches located in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria. The churches are; Living Faith Church (LFC), Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM). Findings reveal patterns and functionalities of greeting and address terms prevalent in the churches which beyond phatic communion provide insight on the belief, status and identity of the interlocutors; as well as their intentionality, effect and context-dependent dynamics. The paper reflects the dynamism in address terms among the neo-Pentecostals in Nigeria, which majorly constitute an English-medium religious setting.